Florida’s Department of Education rolled out its much-anticipated teacher evaluation reports, and only hours later, withdrew them. Most teachers were rated effective or highly effective, but the reports had numerous errors.

At some point, after hundreds of millions of dollars have been wasted trying to standardize a process that requires human judgement, after thousands of excellent teachers have abandoned a profession they once loved, someone will finally admit that this nutty idea doesn’t work. A chorus will grow from sea to shining sea: teacher quality can’t be judged by student test scores.

This is the critical time for thoughtful, talented, and knowledgeable educators to push back against a world-gone-mad. We have become so used to being victims of policies that we’ve forgotten why we dedicated our careers to education. No longer can we wait for well-intentioned policy makers to create structures and layers that further prevent us from doing what we know and do best. In the end, we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

Now that I’ve been scored and ranked using a fallacious mechanism with no mathematical-, professional-, pedagogical- or socially-redeeming integrity, does this make me a better educator? I certainly hope so because I feel demoralized. Yes, I was “rated” on the high side of “effective,” but that doesn’t change the crushing embarrassment of being involved with such a perverse system of malfeasance.

The report is a joke. The two largest counties representing a quarter of the state’s teachers were not include because their teachers still have not received a completed evaluation for the 2011-12. Despite not having received the student growth portion of their evaluations, Dade teachers were ordered to complete a RTTT teacher feedback survey for the FLDOE. The survey results will be invalid but they will use them anyway. This whole thing is one giant exercise in bogosity. Read more about it here “Survey Says” http://kafkateach.wordpress.com.

it is a joke … no different than the evaluations we received 26 years ago when I started teaching … except now they are threatening to make our salary tied to student test scores … and some teachers students who are not tested (art, pe, music, coaches, etc) just ride on the backs of the academic teachers (math science english history) test scores … and we still haven’t had a raise in 6 years !!!!

all of this is just a way to get money in the hands of test makers, computer makers, and bean counters … it does NOTHING to help educate the students … if you want something to help students how about first recognizing that they will all NOT go to college and it is NOT GOOD for society to have everyone go to college anyway … diversify what it means to have a high school diploma to include trades and then you will start getting real learning going on …

I am a Florida teacher who still has not seen my 2011-12 evaluation. I will not be expecting a favorable evaluation (despite my prior 5 years’ evaluations where I met and exceeded expectations) because I was “observed” and rated using Marzano’s flawed system by evaluators who had little expertise and who did not train us sufficiently on the multitude of “domains.” I don’t expect to gain any points on test scores, as my Title I school has a 91% free and reduced lunch student population, and have historically scored poorly on standardized tests. The cut scores were also raised in 2011-2012, resulting in a drop in the school grade. (Had the cut scores stayed the same, we would have gone up a letter grade). I, like so many others, are good teachers who care about our students and their success, have had enough. Teacher are constantly asked to happily meet an ever increasing work load. This includes new evaluation systems which include a grocery list of over 60 different pedagogical and professional expectations, tie salary to test scores. Frequent changes are made in standards, curriculums, and grading systems, additional meetings are required, and parental and community obligations increase every year. Year after year, in my county, St Lucie, we must do more with less. No new texts or technology. Less support for ESE and ESOL students. My district froze steps and raises in 2007. We lost 3% of our pay last year when Gov. Scott eliminated the FLRS contribution. Our board declared an impasse in contract negotiations because the bargaining unit will not accept their contract proposal of a $400 a month cut in healthcare contributions, plus a 10% reduction in other benefit contributions. No raise, no steps. The only monetary offer was a one time bonus of $500.00 after taxes. The board must think we are not proficient in math, because they were “shocked” when we refused the offer and countered with requests for a raise and a step and no elimination in benefit contributions. I like teaching, and I am good at it, and I know I am successful with my students, in spite of their test scores. But I cannot afford to continue to practice my craft in this state. I will be leaving Florida and will only seek another teaching position if I am offered a fair salary and a fair evaluation system. Then, I will know that the work I do is respected, valued and appreciated by people other than my students and fellow teachers.

When this model was introduced via a video everyone in the room laughed when the infamous formula appeared on screen. Everyone assumed it was an attempt at humor. I’m still not sure it was or not. I do know that this entire scheme, and it is a scheme, is absurd.